Volume 50 Issue 7 - July 2012 : Heritage

The Bangwato under Khama III moved from Old Palapye to Serowe in 1902 and the first buildings there, amongst them, Khama’s new home, would have dated from that time. I have never been certain, however, about the nature of this home, where it was located and whether it was a traditional lelapa – it was said that Khama, unlike many of the other Tswana Chiefs, was never tempted to live in a modern, European style house. It is galling, though, that we should be without photos of either Khama’s or Sekgoma’s homes in Serowe whereas the LMS missionary, W.C. Willoughby, left us superb photos of both at Old Palapye.

The probability must be, however, that both leaders lived in close proximity to the new kgotla, Sekgoma on one side, Khama on the other – almost certainly on the site of today’s Green House. Unfortunately the Green House presents particular problems for me. We know, not least from Mary Benson, that Tshekedi and Ella lived in this house. We know too that it was burnt and seriously damaged and that the fire destroyed many, if not all, of the presents that Khama had brought back from England after his famous 1895 trip including the Bible presented to him by Queen Victoria. But I don’t know if today’s Green house was an entirely new structure which was built after that fire or if that was the case, what kind of building it replaced. On the other hand, I do know that the building from which Semane was married to Kgosi Molatlhegi in late 1963 was substantially the same 10 years later. When I last saw it, five years or so ago, however, it had acquired a new roof and was so transformed as to be barely recognisable. About the Red House, around the other side of the hill, we are all rather better informed. The American, Martin Flavin, stayed there with Tshekedi in 1949 and described it unflatteringly and at some length in his book, Black and White.

In the mid-1960s, Sheila Bagnall spent time there with Seodi and Sekgoma and reacted to it rather differently, as can be readily found in her Letters from Botswana. In addition, I was told by Peter Sebina in 1978 that the house was built in or soon after 1902 by Adolph G. Smith of P. Garret and G. Smith and that Khama, who had shares in this firm, purchased it, possibly around 1909. On Khama’s death in 1923, the house was inherited by Tshekedi who, Sebina, said, used it as his rest house. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the information provided by one key informant is contradicted by another – because Tshekedi told Flavin that, “his father (Khama III) had built the house and lived in it; that ‘he himself lived in another house, though at times in this one, when his wife was away…” Hopefully, there will be numerous people in Serowe who are well informed about such matters and able to explain who would have lived in the Green House if Khama had abandoned it, why he might have done so, from where he might have acquired the design for the Red House, and who might have built it for him?

On balance, I find Sebina’s story the more credible of the two but am baffled to understand how Tshekedi could have got it wrong or probably more likely, why he might have felt that his explanation about the origin of the building was likely to be more acceptable to his visitor than the correct one. On the other hand, the ownership of this building, passing from Khama to Tshekedi to Leeapetswe (and onwards to today’s Khama III Museum) is straight forward whereas I have not the slightest idea about the historical ownership of the Green House or indeed who might own it today? Can it be assumed that whoever paid for the cost of its renewaland modernisation must surely be its owner? Is it possible that ownership has somehow become vested in the tribe and that it was one or other arms of local government which opted to upgrade the building? If this is the case, the building must be a very significant owned community asset. On the other hand, it may be that the building is still individually owned and that the local authorities had no hand in its modernisation. But, either way, I would dearly love to have a better understanding of this particular, and very important building.

Whilst the Green House and the Red House – the only names by which I have ever known these two buildings are the two key royal houses in Serowe, there are others which need comment. One is the charming cruciform ‘rondavel’ built by Tskekedi for Bonyerile near the kgotla (as I was informed by Sebina). The idea of such a structure is of some interest because it marks something of a halfway point between the new European, rectangular house and the traditional, circular rondavel. It strikes me as being particularly intriguing that the two friends, Bonyerile in Serowe and Minnie Shaw in Palapye should have lived in very similar rondavel houses. I have often wondered why this particular ‘architectural’ formula did not catch on and be adopted elsewhere? Nevertheless, both of those two ‘houses’ are of major heritage importance for the country. In the May issue of Kutlwano, I took Mochudi as an example to show how royal marriages could be the key which would help date many Chiefly houses. Serowe, with problems of interrupted succession, presents a more difficult scenario. Had the present Chief (and President) been married, it is probable that he would have built himself a new home.

As a bachelor, however, he has seen no such need and is content to utilise the home of his parents which was built on an entirely new site by, if memory serves, A.J. Sampson of Mochudi sometime in the late 50s. If marriage appears to be less relevant in Serowe in dating or even identifying royal homes, there must be a clear cultural link which joins Seretse to Tshekedi to Sekgoma to Khama III and throws light on their respective homes. But where is this link to be found? Is it possible that it is the Green House which provides the answer to this seeming conundrum? Perhaps I have needed to write this article in order to know what questions still have to be asked. ENDS

Buy Online Now!